Melanie Gibson General Martial Arts, Guest Writers, Self-Development and Leadership

Guest Writer: What Do You Owe the People Who Depend on You?

Article by Tsahi Shemesh, Founder & CEO Krav Maga Experts

Father and Son Martial Arts Training on Lake Shore Stock Photo - Image ...

A father came into my school because he was worried about protecting his family.

He had children, a job, and the kind of schedule that makes it easy to put yourself somewhere near the bottom of your own list. He was about twenty pounds overweight. He wasn’t exercising regularly, and anxiety had become a bigger part of his life than he wanted. He wasn’t thinking about any of that when he contacted me. He was thinking about violence.

If someone tried to hurt his family, would he be able to do anything about it?

I understand that question because I’m a father too. Having children changes the way you calculate risk. Your physical ability is no longer relevant only to you. If something happens while your child is standing beside you, you may have to think, move and make decisions for more than one person.

So we started there.

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Melanie Gibson General Martial Arts, Guest Writers, Training Tips

Guest Writer: How to Control Fighting Range: Distance Management for Boxing, Muay Thai & MMA

Article by Matthew Olivar

As a short person in a kicking-heavy sport that favors people with long legs, I’ve always had to think carefully about range. This article offers tips, techniques, and concepts to be mindful of as you practice your combat sport, no matter your height. If you would like to contribute a guest article to Little Black Belt, please review the guest writer guidelines here. ~Melanie

How to Control Fighting Range: Distance Management for Boxing, Muay Thai & MMA 

Understanding the invisible skill that controls a fight. 

A fighter can know how to throw a technically sound jab, round kick, double-leg takedown, elbow, or submission and still struggle to use any of them effectively. 

The missing piece is often range. 

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Melanie Gibson General Martial Arts, Guest Writers, Self-Development and Leadership

Guest Writer: My Kung Fu Journey – My Shaolin Kung Fu Training Story at Tagou

Guest article by Yan Zhijun. For more information about the author and his website, see the bottom of the post.

Yan Zhijun (mid-air, center) with fellow Tagou students after a performance at the Longmen Grottoes, Luoyang, 2000

How It Started

I was not a good student. School bored me. I was restless, mischievous, and had no interest in sitting still long enough to learn anything. My parents looked at my grades, looked at my attitude, and worried — genuinely worried — about what kind of future I was heading toward.

One evening they sat me down and asked a question I was not expecting: Would you consider going to Shaolin?

The idea had come through a connection in our town. Someone my parents knew had a child already training at Tagou. We visited that family, heard their story, saw their photos. Something about it stuck. So in 1998, at the age of sixteen, I packed a bag and headed for Dengfeng.

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Melanie Gibson General Martial Arts, Guest Writers, Self-Development and Leadership, Training Tips

Guest Writer: What Parents Should Look for When Choosing a Martial Arts School

Article by Master Jaysen Ishida, taekwondo practitioner, dojang owner, and head instructor instructor of 9th Island Taekwondo. See bio at bottom of post.

The greatest benefits of martial arts are not always seen during class. Learning new skills helps children build confidence. Regular practice also teaches discipline and patience. These skills can positively influence how they approach everyday life.

Because every martial arts school has its own teaching style, instructors, and class environment, not every program will be the same. That is why parents should carefully consider these factors. It’s worth knowing what to look for before making a decision.

Here are the key things every parent should look for before enrolling their child.

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Melanie Gibson General Martial Arts, Injury and Recovery, Mental Health, Self-Development and Leadership

Pinned Post – I’m on an Extended Hiatus From Taekwondo (The Burnout Recovery Continues)

The History of the Martial Arts Color Belt Ranking System - Tri-City Judo

Y’all ready to clutch your pearls?

I have some news: I’ve stepped away from taekwondo training indefinitely.

Let me clarify–I stopped going to training classes at the end of December and have decided not to go back for an indefinite amount of time.

It’s taken several months and a few coaching sessions from my coworkers, also fellow trained coaches, to process my complicated feelings around this. The short version is, I wasn’t having fun anymore, I didn’t look forward to going to class, and I was starting to resent giving up time that I could be using to do something else.

The more complicated version is–this was part of the fallout of the extreme burnout I experienced in 2025.

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Melanie Gibson General Martial Arts, Guest Writers

Guest Writer: How Real Is the Katana You See in Anime?

Maki is not here for your nonsense.

Weapons training isn’t a part of every martial art, but practicing martial arts and weapon use can be closely intertwined. Guest writer Zain Ali from the site Kato Katana explains the nuances of a real katana versus what you might see in anime. I’m currently rewatching previous seasons of my favorite anime JuJutsu Kaisen, which is fighting and weapons galore, so this article came across my desk at a great time.
If you would like to contribute a guest article for Little Black Belt, please review the guidelines here.

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Melanie Gibson General Martial Arts, Guest Writers, Injury and Recovery, Mental Health

Guest Writer: How Martial Artists Can Boost Well-Being and Train Without Burning Out

When regular contributor Emma Grace Brown sent me her article about avoiding burnout, I thought, “What perfect timing!” I’m currently on a hiatus from taekwondo because I am, in fact, burned out. There were many other life-related factors that led to my decision at the end of last year to take a few months off, which I may explore in a future blog post. For now, it’s the right thing for me, and I will return to what I love eventually. I’m going to take Emma’s words to heart and think about how I can approach my training differently when I return.

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Melanie Gibson General Martial Arts, Guest Writers, Training Tips

Guest Writer: What is the Best Martial Art for Self-Defense?

What is the best martial art for self-defense? While my martial art (taekwondo) is primarily a striking art, the type I’ve trained in includes grabs, joint locks, and takedowns from hapkido. One of my current school’s masters has also been training the black belts in BJJ and judo-based defense, ground fighting, and throws. This gives me a diverse arsenal to have at the ready.
Krav Maga expert Jake Randall provides his insight on which martial arts can provide a solid foundation for self-defense. If you would like to write a guest post for Little Black Belt, please visit the guidelines here.

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Melanie Gibson General Martial Arts, Guest Writers, Injury and Recovery

Guest Writer: Enhancing Postural Health Through Martial Arts: A Doctor’s Perspective

When Dr. Antti Rintanen (The Internet Doctor) contacted me about a contributing a guest post offering a physician’s perspective on the benefits of martial arts, I jumped at the chance…well, hopped, being mindful of my current Achilles tendon issue. Something we all could use help improving is our posture. In this article, Dr. Rintanen focuses on how your martial arts practice can improve your posture and in turn, other health concerns. There’s even a five-minute martial arts-inspired posture routine at the end you can try today.

This article is not a substitute for treatment from a licensed medical professional. If you would like to contribute a martial arts-related post, please see the guest writer guidelines here. 

Enhancing Postural Health Through Martial Arts: A Doctor’s Perspective

By Dr. Antti Rintanen, MD, MSc

In today’s world, poor posture has quietly become a modern epidemic. Hours spent hunched over screens, commuting, and sitting at desks have made forward head posture, rounded shoulders, and anterior pelvic tilt the new normal. As a medical doctor—and a lifelong martial arts practitioner—I’ve seen firsthand how movement habits can either restore or degrade the body’s natural alignment.

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Melanie Gibson General Martial Arts, Guest Writers, Training Tips

Guest Writer: A Beginner’s Guide to Select the Right Martial Art for Your Personal Goals

Karate Class Practicing Stances image - Free stock photo - Public ...

Are you interested in martial arts training but aren’t sure which one is right for you? Guest writer Justin Mark’s guest post can help you align your martial arts training with your personal goals. Don’t get lost in a Google rabbit hole; find the martial art that fits your unique needs. 

If you would like to submit a guest post to Little Black Belt, please review the guest writer guidelines here.

A Beginner’s Guide to Select the Right Martial Art for Your Personal Goals

You want to try martial arts, but, uh, you have no clue where to start. Maybe you saw a brutal knockout in MMA and thought, Yeah, I need to learn that. Probably an old-school Kung Fu flick that left you fired up.

Whatever your reason, you now face the question: Which martial art is right for you?

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